How to avoid a blocked toilet

One of the most common plumbing emergencies that we tend to are blocked toilets and drains. More often than not these blockages are avoidable, leaving the homeowner with an unplanned dent in the wallet and a little red-faced.

So how can you avoid blocked toilets in your home?

A big part of it is simply watching what goes down your toilet. Number ones, twos and toilet paper are the only things that should be getting flushed down.

Additionally, taking some of these simple measures in the home could help avoid a nasty surprise:

If you don’t already have a rubbish bin in your bathroom – get one. Having somewhere to dispose of those ‘break-downable’ face, hygiene or baby wipes is a much better option than absentmindedly flushing it down the toilet. While some wipes may disintegrate over time (i.e years) they will join forces with household fats and oils in your pipes and form ‘fatbergs‘, causing a potentially large issue for not just your sewer, but also your local communities water system.

Be aware of how much toilet paper you actually use – are you a two square scrooge? Or do you like to roll out the white carpet?

If you have young children it’s a great idea to invest a few dollars in a child safety toilet latch – this will not only prevent toys and other things (like Mum’s wedding ring) being flushed down the toilet, it’s good for hygiene! We’ve lost count of the number of toys and other items that we see through the drain camera when we are investing blockages.

Of course, this doesn’t just apply to the bathroom – make sure you are careful with the kitchen sink too. Pop along to Victoria’s Basement or Bunnings and buy a sink strainer to ensure when you are rinse items in the sink with food residue, it’ll get caught before it goes all the way down.